Two loaded guns at high school in two days; district reacts
by Garth Meyer On back-to-back days, Monday and Tuesday at Redondo Union High School, students were arrested for taking a loaded handgun to school. The campus was closed Wednesday for a K-9 sweep for weapons and explosives and a review of law enforcement protocol. District administrators and police announced plans for new security measures when […]
RUHS girls take first flag football Bay League title
by Garth Meyer RUHS won the Bay League this fall in the inaugural season of CIF girls flag football. The program began as a club sport in 2021, one of 10 teams in Southern California, which grew to 16 the second year. In 2023, RUHS, Mira Costa, Palos Verdes and Peninsula fielded CIF-sanctioned teams. Redondo […]
Chevron makes diesel, jet fuel from soybeans
by Garth Meyer If you flew out of LAX in late 2021 on Delta Airlines, chances are your plane burned fuel that was half petroleum-based and half soybean oil. It came from Chevron’s El Segundo refinery. Since then, Chevron El Segundo has expanded its biofuel production. It now supplies 100% renewable soybean oil truck diesel, […]
City hopes to more than double pallet shelters
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach pallet shelter for the homeless may expand from 20 units to 45 if the city can find funding, the Redondo City Council voted unanimously at its November 7 meeting. The estimated $1.5 million project would be paid for by city money and grants, including an earmarked $800,000 from L.A. […]
Beryl Heights hits new low, staff asks board’s help
by Garth Meyer Bad student conduct has led to an urgent call for help from Beryl Heights Elementary teachers, staff and parents, along with a commitment from the school district to further address the problem. The issue went public Nov. 14 when Beryl Heights teachers, staff and parents spoke to the Redondo school board. One […]
About Town Redondo: City loses two employees, fatal crash, allcove anniversary
Two city employees die City hall lost two workers in the same weekend Oct. 28-29 as longtime I.T. manager Jesse Martinez died unexpectedly and Laurie Koike died of cancer. Redondo Beach had not lost an active city worker in more than 10 years. Martinez spent his entire career as an information systems specialist with the […]
State gives $5 million for AES parkland
State Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi brought a $5 million check to the Redondo Beach city council Nov. 7 to fund possible parkland at what is now the AES power plant. The privately-owned site is scheduled to be shut down at the end of this year, after receiving an extension the past two years. The property includes […]
Seven minutes from a six-year POW
By Garth Meyer The annual Redondo Beach Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 11 featured a six-year Vietnam POW as keynote speaker. Col. Kenneth Hughey, 91, walked to the podium and told of his four favorite veterans – four men from his hometown of Chic, Tennessee, one of which was his brother: Jack Hughey, Hollis Reager, John […]
Union reps say progress made in contract talks
by Garth Meyer Carlos Rubio, regional president for Teamsters Local 911, led a crowd of Redondo Beach city workers Tuesday night, Nov. 7, picketing along Pacific Coast Highway and at city hall. Later, in the city council meeting, representatives reported progress in contract talks. Redondo Beach Professional and Supervisory Association president Lina Carillo, addressing the […]
City attorney ballot decision moves ahead
by Garth Meyer Should Redondo Beach keep its practice of electing a city attorney? Or should the city council appoint one? Voters may be asked to decide in 2025. The city council voted 5-0 Tuesday, Nov. 7, to seek a charter review committee recommendation, then decide whether to put the question on a ballot. “This […]
Boardmembers question school testing drops
by Garth Meyer Test results in the Redondo Unified School District have drawn scrutiny from two school board members saying that drops in math and English/language arts are beyond pandemic learning loss. Susan Wildes, assistant superintendent of educational services, presented a rundown of test scores at the Oct. 10 school board meeting. The numbers for […]
About Town Redondo: Revisiting free parking, Kiwanis Fair Saturday
Vietnam POW to speak at Veterans Day ceremony The annual Redondo Beach Veterans’ Day ceremony will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Veterans’ Park, with keynote speaker Colonel Kenneth Hughey, a retired Air Force pilot who spent six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The event features music by the 562nd […]
Superintendent presents, answers RBUSD “myths”
by Garth Meyer Amidst recent teacher and classified staff contract negotiations, Redondo Unified School District Superintendent Nicole Wesley gave a presentation at the Oct. 10 school board meeting, titled “Mythbusters,” in which she pointed out things she has been hearing in the district and said whether or not they were true. Are there less teachers […]
Tension gives way to tentative deal for RBUSD teachers, staff
by Garth Meyer Redondo Unified School District and its teachers and classified staff have reached a tentative agreement for a six percent pay raise. The three-year deal, including other features, came after 12 separate negotiating sessions since June, four school board closed sessions and contentious public input at the board’s Oct. 10 and Oct. 24 meetings, […]
Scenes from Riviera Village Trick-or-Treat 2023
Photos by Garth Meyer
Two candidates vie for next phase of old library
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council took in two proposals last week on the future of the historic library at Veterans Park, voting to gather more information before a decision on who to partner with. Applicants Chef Dora Presents and Made By Meg showcased their plans for how they would – as City […]